United States Postal Service (USPS) approved postage meters for use by the public have a long history in American business. Typical postage meters are capable of sealing and metering a particular item to be mailed. Postage meters are utilized in lieu of postage stamps as a means for printing a USPS approved indication of paid postage (indicium) on a mailpiece. Additionally, mailing machines which perform some or all of the functions of transporting, separating, sealing, and weighing mailpieces at a high throughput are also known. When a mailing machine is combined with a postage meter so that the mailpieces being processed through the mailing machine have the indicium printed thereon, a mail handling system is created.
In recent years, the technological advancement in digital printing techniques has led to the use of digital printheads in postage meters for printing the indicium and other information on mailpieces. Digital printers, such as ink jet or laser printers, provide advantages over previously used rotary drum printing systems in that they are readily adaptable to print various images simply through the use of new or upgraded software. Digital postage meters, however, require the consumer to invest in new, typically more expensive, equipment. As of 1996, there were approximately 1,500,000 postage meters in use in the United States. It would be a tremendous waste of resources if each of those existing meter machines needed to be replaced in order to gain the benefits of digital printing.
Relatively recently, the USPS has introduced the Information Based Indicia Program (IBIP). The IBI, like other forms of postage such as stamps and meter impressions, is printed on an envelope in the upper right hand corner, or on a label for an envelope or package. The indicium conveys evidence that postage has been paid and contains mail processing data requirements. Additionally, the indicium contains security-related data elements. An example of IBI can be seen in FIG. 6. The printing of such indicium is particularly well suited for digital printing devices. However, again, the problem remains that conversion of over one million meter machines to digital printing requires either substituting a digital printer, such as that used with a personal computer, or, purchasing an all new digital mailing system.
Another relatively recent development is generating significant change in the way postage is both purchased and supplied, namely via the internet. Not only can postage be purchased from the USPS via the internet, but also, postage can be purchased from approved USPS vendors such as stamps.com, estamps and Pitney Bowes. The problem with purchasing postage from certain of these organizations is that such a purchase can only be used in conjunction with a computer printer such as a conventional laser jet or ink jet-type printer. Accordingly, the ability to process mail will be limited to the speed at which the printer operates. In many instances this speed is six envelopes per minute, for example printers sold by manufacturers such as Cannon, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark. Such a speed is prohibitively slow for most businesses.
Conventional postage meters can also include a postal security device that maintains an accounting of available postage, purchased from the USPS or other third parties, within the meter. The available postage can be replenished mechanically or electronically in various increments through the USPS or other approved third parties as required by the user. In the case of internet purchased postage, such security devices can be replenished via the internet. However, after each block of postage has been used, the device becomes inoperable until postage is replenished.
Consequently, a need exists for a device that is capable of digitally printing postage, can be internet enabled and which will not require the abandonment of existing mail systems.